I ATTENDED a meeting of Kennet District Council planning sub-committee last Thursday and witnessed local democracy in action.

The meeting was to deal with the objections and recommendations arising from the public consultation on the deposit draft of the new local plan.

I was particularly interested in the deliberations regarding housing development on the agricultural and land adjoining Quakers Walk, an area of minimum change, adjacent to the police helicopter base.

Despite the many objections to such development, from both local councils and many local people, a proposal by Coun Thorpe that development of that site should be reconsidered and an alternative available site used, was defeated by a majority vote, mainly by councillors not closely connected with Devizes.

The many objections did not appear to carry any weight and were not really discussed.

The subject is likely to go to public inquiry, with expense to the council ratepayers.

I fully expect the development of that land to proceed, as I attended a meeting to discuss the Devizes Area Transport Plan about a year ago, when provision for a bus stop to serve the homes to be built on the Quakers Walk development was shown on the plan.

The plan was produced by Wiltshire County Council and at that time there was no inkling of a proposal to develop the site.

Thus I am led to the conclusion that development of the Quakers Walk side had already been "approved" at some level.

I wonder if the expense involved in public consultation is worthwhile.

V ALEXANDER

Roundway

Devizes